New-found hatred
by Endeavourment
Summary: Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto head on a mission, where Sakura is given an opportunity to show her strength and skill. She returns, and to her horror, her parents had been murdered on a mission. Sasuke and Naruto comfort her, where she is overcome with hatred for the ninja who did it - she sets out to find him and take revenge. On Permanent Hiatus. Story up for adoption.
1. Chapter 1

{Disclaimer; I do not own Naruto. All characters belong to Kishimoto. In this fluff, all characters are 16.}

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, looking for someone to indulge his time into. He felt a grin reach his face as he observed Sakura sitting at a tree, reading her books.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called obnoxiously, running towards Sakura.

"Oh, hey Naruto." She smiled, secretly wishing he would stop being so annoying sometimes. There's no way she could say that to him though, he was way too nice to her.

"What're you reading there?" Naruto questioned, leaning in to get a peek of her book.

"They're just my medical books, okay!? _No need to get so nosey..."_ She mumbled, quickly closing the book and hiding it.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, smiling like a mad-man as he chuckled to himself. Sakura turned to him and shot him a look of confusion and fear.

"W-what are you laughing about!?" Sakura pouted, hoping he didn't see the silly book she was so engulfed in.

"Hey, Sakura-chan...Let's bet on something, yeah?" Naruto quirked. He definitely had something up his sleeve.

"What're you planning _now,_ Naruto?" Sakura narrowed her jade eyes, trying to see through his deception.

"Eh? Why'd you always think ill of me Sakura-chan!? I'm not planning anything!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands out, dismissing her.

"Hmph...Whatever. What kind of bet is it?" Sakura asked, shoving her books in her side-bag and standing up, hands on hips.

"I bet...that you can't make Sasuke laugh!" Naruto cackled, pointing his finger at her decisively.

 _"Huh?_ That's not fair, he's totally devoid of emotion! I've never even seen him crack a smile before!" Sakura moaned.

"Okay, okay! To make it more fair...I'll compete against you! Whoever can make Sasuke laugh wins the bet!" Naruto grinned, throwing out a thumbs up.

Sakura merely stared at him with a motionless expression and turned, walking away, leaving Naruto to fall onto the floor.

"You know there's no point, right? None of us will be able to. We should try it on someone more capable...like...Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura suggested, turning back around.

"Well, he's easy to make chuckle, the guy sits there giggling at his perverted books all the time anyway! If we make him laugh, we wouldn't be true winners. Let's _challenge_ ourselves." He smirked, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

She cringed at the unnecessary physical contact and took a breath.

"Okay, fine. What do I get if I win?" Sakura quizzed, tempted.

Naruto thought for a moment before smiling.

"A kiss!" He exclaimed, making Sakura sigh.

"In that case, no-"

"Wait, I was only joking! You can decide at the end... _if_ you win." Naruto stated, spotting Sasuke walking down the path towards them. "Quick, now's your chance to take the offer! Swayed, or no? He's coming, Sakura-chan!"

"F-fine, I'll take the bet! Although I don't know what makes him laugh at all-!"

"Naruto, Sakura. Lady Tsunade wishes to see us." Sasuke informed, crossing his arms.

Sakura looked towards Naruto and back to Sasuke, as Naruto leaned on Sasuke and whispered into his ear.

"Hey, Sasuke, ever noticed that Grandma Tsunade could suffocate someone with her breasts? It's frightening, isn't it?" Naruto chuckled, to which Sasuke pushed him off.

"Get off me, idiot. I don't have time to be staring at a woman's chest." Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked back down the path to Tsunade's place.

"Nice going, Naruto...very smooth indeed. Not very funny, to say the least, though." Sakura criticised, following Sasuke back to Tsunade. "Come on, Naruto."

"W-wait for me, Sakura-chan!"

Naruto got up and sprinted to Sakura, walking next to her. They eventually caught up to Sasuke who gave them a knowing look as if he was suspicious of their nervous behaviour. He eventually ignored it and they made their way to the office, where they opened the doors, walking in unison.

"Ah, Sasuke. Thank you for bringing me them." Tsunade nodded to Sasuke. "Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke." She said, looking to each of them. "You have been blessed with a mission by Kakashi, who is... _supposed_ _to b_ _e here right now."_ Tsunade growled.

"He's always late. _Honestly,_ Tsunade-sama, you shouldn't really expect much from him. You don't know how much we have to put up with, with his excuses and all that. 'Traffic' this, 'black cat crossed his path' that, he makes my blood boil!" Sakura growled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Sakura-san...don't speak so badly of me, okay? I may be late sometimes but if I'm not here on time then I have a good excu- reason." Kakashi lied, walking in through the doors.

"Nice of you to show up, Kakashi." Lady Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"You call "the path of life made me go a different way" a _good reason?"_ Sasuke spat bitterly, to this, Kakashi shrugged.

"Anyway, this mission is A-ranked, so I expect you all to be on your best behaviour." Tsunade started. "...Including you, Kakashi." She looked to him as he rubbed the back of his head, chuckling.

"What's the mission, Grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked, grinning sheepishly.

"You must find and take out a rogue ninja who is threatening to destroy the village. It doesn't seem more than a silly little game they're playing, but they are quite powerful and could become more of a threat to us if we let it slip. That is why I am entrusting you four with this mission, I hope you can handle it." Tsunade finished, clasping her hands together waiting for a reply. Finally, her eyes fell on Sasuke who opened his mouth to speak.

"Do we even have any information on who this guy is? We wouldn't even know where to find him." Sasuke closed his eyes calmly and crossed his arms.

Tsunade reached across her desk and pulled the drawer open, revealing blueprints of a mysterious cave on the outskirts of Konoha. She pointed to it and looked up at the ninja, ready for an explanation.

"Many have observed him walking in and out of this cave on many occasions whilst they were transporting goods, or even just looking around. We suspect this is where his hideout is. His name, however, is something we couldn't find out, but I doubt it's of any importance, anyway." Tsunade opinionated, turning to Sakura, who was beginning to speak.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, it would help if we could find his name out. It could help with background checks to see if anyone has ties with him, and obviously to see if he's really a threat or not-"

"I suggest you stop talking back to me, Sakura. As I have said before, he IS powerful and is a threat - which is something we were able to confirm for ourselves. Do you not trust my word?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the pinkette, who just looked to the floor submissively. Sasuke shot Tsunade a nasty look and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut of by Kakashi.

"I don't think it's that she doesn't trust you, Lady Tsunade, she just wishes to gather more information on the suspect. That would've been a good plan, if you hadn't have shut her down just now. But, hey, we'll get the job done any way you like - just try to remain passive, Tsunade." Kakashi shook his head, placing his hand on Sakura's head and ruffling her hair.

"Grrrr...Shut it Kakashi! I'll beat you to a pulp if you-!"

"Okay, we'll be going now!" Naruto informed, cutting off the angry Hokage as Kakashi took the lead in sprinting out the office, followed by the other three.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura smiled sweetly, as he cucked his head to the side.

"For what?" He asked.

"For sticking up for me back there...I really did think we were onto something, but I guess Tsunade-sama didn't like the plan after all..." Sakura took a big sigh and hung her head down, anime-style.

Kakashi smiled back, nodding his head.

"It was a good plan, Sakura-chan! Lady Tsunade doesn't know what she's talking about is all!" The eccentric blond chirped, resting his arm on her shoulder.

"Aha, thanks..." She looked towards Sasuke, who had his eyes on Naruto's arm, which was placed on her shoulder. "But I _did_ get the idea from Sasuke - he's the one who mentioned names in the first place."

At this, Sasuke took his gaze off of Naruto onto Sakura. He lifted the tiniest bit of his lips, almost like he was beginning to smile.

'Tch. That's the most I'm gonna see out of him with this stupid bet.' She thought.

"Okay, we should all probably start packing our bags and getting ready. We'll meet back at the gate in 15 minutes." Kakashi ordered, disappearing.

"I don't need anything - so...SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto smiled as he slowly turned to Sakura. "I'll help you pack, yeah?"

"D-don't you need, like, ramen...or something?" Sakura asked, leaning back from his close proximity, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hm...I've already got them." He suddenly revealed, opening his backpack to show multiple ramen pots, and, the occasional water bottle. "So, don't try to get rid of me Sakura-chan! You don't really think I would forget about my ramen, do you?"

"I...I suppose not? I mean...you can wait outside of my house, but...it'd be a bit...embarrassing, you know? I mean, my parents are _really_ obsessive over every boy that walks into the house..." Sakura stuttered, looking towards Sasuke for help, who just smirked evily in satisfaction. 'Note to self: _never_ help Sasuke when he is being bothered by Naruto.' She growled mentally.

"Please, Sakura-chan." He cried, puppy-dog eyes planted on his face. Finally, she gave in with a sigh.

"Okay then...but if you give my parents the wrong idea I swear you are going to regret it!" She flushed, a little red.

"Of course I wouldn't do that, I mean, they do know that Sasuke is your one and only, don't they?" Naruto teased, wagging a finger. POOF. A crimson red colour spread across her face in an instant.

"Naruto, I actually hate you right now." She proclaimed through gritted teeth, genuinely wishing to die. She just hoped that Sasuke hadn't heard his best friend's stupid words. She turned, and, unfortunately, he was looking straight at them, a nonchalant expression painted upon his face.

Sakura facepalmed and sunk to the floor in embarrasment.

"How many times do you have to torture everyone around you with your vexatious babbling, Naruto?" Sasuke spoke up, to which Naruto shrugged.

"It was a joke." Naruto deadpanned.

"It wasn't funny..." Sakura mumbled from the ground. Naruto thought for a minute and picked Sakura up, hauling the still red-faced girl over his shoulders.

"N-no, Naruto! Stop, let me down! I-!"

"S-Sakura-chan! S-stop...kicking!" Naruto pleaded, tightening his grip.

After a minute of struggling, Sakura gave in and flopped onto Naruto's shoulder.

"There...we go! Adda...girl...huff..." He said inbetween breaths.

"I'm going to kill you as soon as I get back onto ground, Naruto - so you better hold onto me with your LIFE." Sakura threatened, finally facing forward (which was to the back of Naruto) and realised that Sasuke's eyes were on her.

"You're evil." She muttered to him, he just shrugged in reply.

"I'm not evil, Sakura-chan!" Naruto squealed from underneath her.

"Idiot, I'm not talking to you! And, yes, you are!" She replied, crossing her arms as Naruto started walking, with Sasuke tagging along just to taunt Sakura.

"I bet you just looove this, Sasuke-kun." She growled, scowling at him - where as he had an amused look on his face. "Wipe that stupid smirk off of your face before I-!" Sakura quickly stopped herself from saying what she was going to and reddened, earning a raised eyebrow from Sasuke.

"Before...?" He started.

"Oh, just give me a break already! Before I-Uhm, punch you, idiot!" She improvised, hoping she didn't give too much away - but she was just so easy to read.

"That's not what you were going to say, Sakura-chan - even I know that!" Naruto chuckled from underneath, getting a punch on the head from Naruto - leaving him to drop her and hold his head.

She dropped on her back and quickly got back up, dusting herself off.

"Aha!" She pointed at Naruto, running off towards her house.

She quickly stopped when Sasuke appeared infront of her at the speed of light, leaving her to trip backwards in order to stop herself pummeling into him. He caught her by the wrist though, and she attempted to pull away, failing, and sighing heavily again.

"Oh god...not again. Just let me leave, _Sasuke!"_ She cried, putting her other hand on her restrained one and pulling hard, putting all of her weight onto getting free.

Naruto eventually caught up, huffing and puffing, pointing at Sakura and laughing.

"You can't escape ME, Sakura-chan!" Naruto evily grinned, nearing her.

"No, please!" She cried comically, hanging her head, but still not giving up the fight.

Suddenly, Sasuke thought it would be a good idea to let go of Sakura, leaving her to fall backwards. Naruto caught her in time, and looked towards Sasuke with an angry look.

"Eh? You tryna kill her, Uchiha!?" Naruto defended.

"That wouldn't have had her anywhere NEAR death, you idiot." Sasuke huffed, putting his hands into his pockets. Naruto ignored him and looked down to Sakura, who had her hands clutched to her chest and had an annoyed look on her face.

"You can let me go now." She plainly said.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Naruto, dumbfounded, let her go. She stood up and continued walking.

"Thanks, though." She shrugged, to which Naruto grinned - and Sasuke noticed.

"She only said thanks, Naruto. You're not getting high from it, calm down." He rolled his eyes, following Sakura. Naruto shook his head, wiping the dreamy look off of his face and glaring at Sasuke's back.

"What's gotten into you, bitterboy?" Naruto mumbled under his breath, following him unwillingly, wishing to be next to Sakura.

Sakura turned around to face her followers, irritated with their presence - to find that the Uchiha was no longer there.

 _"Stop-!...following me?"_ She looked around hesitantly but couldn't see him. She looked to Naruto for an answer.

"He's right there..." Naruto pointed behind Sakura, as if he knew the question she was going to ask. She spun around on her heel and faced Sasuke, who had his back to her and was still walking.

"You're not going to my house, Sasuke. Neither is Naruto." Sakura blandly stated, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm not going to your house." He hissed.

"Then where are you headed?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

He merely grunted in response, leaving Sakura to smirk and Naruto to chuckle.

"I think he _likes_ you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto teased, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to look at him with glares. "J-joking!" He quickly sweated.

"Shut your mouth, idiot. No one wants to hear your incessant chattering all the time." Sasuke growled, giving Naruto a death stare.

Sakura continued walking towards her house in annoyance, leaving the two to argue back and forth. She reached her door and opened it, greeting her parents and walking up to her room. She grabbed a small but compact backpack and packed a few clothes and essentials (like food and water), suddenly hearing the door open downstairs and her parents saying something.

"Oh of course, please come in! She's just up in her room." She heard her mother say.

Shit.

She heard them running up the stares and opening Sakura's bedroom door to reveal the blonde boy staring down at her.

"I told you to stay out of my house." Sakura groaned.

Naruto shrugged, grinning.

"I wanted to see you. And your parents aren't even bad, so I don't know why you would consider them embarrassing." Naruto smiled, sitting down on the floor next to Sakura.

"First of all, Naruto, it's been like - 5 minutes? And second of all, you don't know them like I do." She told him, seeming to scrunch her nose up in disgust.

"Eh. Well I'm sure you're just exaggerating. Although they _did_ ask if I was your boyfriend though, I took my chance and said yeah." Sakura flushed a little at this statement. The boy was already up and rummaging through her cupboards. He pulled something out and stared at it with confusion. "Hey, Sakura-chan, what's this?"

"What's wh-" She turned to him to see that he was holding a box of...sanitary towels. She felt her face heat up as she screamed at him to get out, as the boy, in his innocence, didn't understand his wrong doing.

Naruto was shoved outside into the streets by Sakura, greeting by Sasuke who had been waiting patiently. Naruto rubbed his face (which had a red hand-print on it) as he walked down the stairs to Sasuke.

"Jeez, Sakura-chan can be scary sometimes..." Naruto mumbled.

"What did you do now, loser?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Naruto defended himself, throwing his arms out. "I just pulled out a box of tissues or something and asked her what it was, that's all! Then she got mad and told me to get out!"

"Tissues?" Sasuke questioned, urging him to go on.

"I didn't know what it was, okay? It just looked super weird!" He replied.

"Maybe she just kicked you out for looking through her stuff. I would do the same thing. You're so nosey, you know that?" Sasuke rhetorically questioned, shaking his head, still unaware of what Naruto was referring to with the 'box'.

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, when Sakura's door swung open, out walking Sakura with the bag on her back. She looked down and observed the pair, focusing primarily on Sasuke.

"Okay, let's go now." Sasuke impatiently hurried, walking down the path.

"You didn't even have to come - I already said that. I don't even know why you were still here." Sakura piled back, leaving Naruto grinning with an 'answer'.

"I know why, Sakura-chan." He started, getting a 'don't-even-think-about-it' look from his male teammate. "It's because he-!"

Sasuke whacked him across the head in anger.

"You're holding us up, dobe. Get moving." Sasuke seethed with an excuse.

Sakura, uninterested in whatever nonsense Naruto was about to spout, followed Sasuke willingly.

"Ow..." Naruto whined.

Well, here's my first chapter! Tell me what you think so far (make sure to leave reviews and favourite me and my story if you enjoyed!) The next chapter will be out soon, so please be patient.

Thank you! :D


	2. Chapter 2

The three ninja stopped at the village gates, waiting for Kakashi to arrive. Sasuke lay against a railing, focusing his eyes on the pretty blossom tree that wasn't too far away as Naruto sat close to Sakura on the floor.

"Hey - Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered.

She looked to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I might have to alter the bet a little." Naruto nervously chuckled, sweating; his hand behind his head. Sakura giggled to his statement as they both looked over to their distracted teammate.

"I did tell you he's a hard one to please, but you didn't listen." Sakura shrugged, smirking smugly. "So, how are you altering it?"

"We've not got to make him laugh, we've got to make him smile-" Sakura opened her mouth to cut him off but Naruto continued. "-and I'm not talking about those stupid smirks he does, I'm talking about a genuine, equal smile. You get me?" Naruto said, answering the rant Sakura was about to go on.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes more sense. It's still gonna be hard though." She mumbled to him as she didn't take her eyes off of the Uchiha.

"What's going to be hard?" Kakashi asked, appearing behind the pair. Sakura caught her breath in her mouth, barely stopping the scream she was about to let out and sat in shock as Naruto _did_ scream and lay flat on the floor.

"Screw you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura insulted through gritted teeth as Kakashi chuckled.

"I'm only messing with you." He responded as he ruffled the rosette's hair.

"Why do you have to sneak up on us like that, though!?" Naruto shouted, turning red from anger.

"It's funny." Kakashi merely shrugged, leaving Sakura a little stunned with a rapidly-beating heart and Naruto completely surprised, sprawled out on the floor.

Sakura rolled her eyes and helped Naruto up as he thanked her, when Kakashi walked to Sasuke to lead him back to the other two.

"Can we go now?" Sasuke impatiently asked, not really bothered about waiting for an answer as he walked out of the gates.

"...Yes?" Kakashi responded lately, sarcastically. Kakashi eventually got ahead of Sasuke, and they continued walking. Naruto slowed down a little so he could walk next to Sakura as Kakashi and Sasuke weren't far up ahead.

"I don't wanna do the bet, Naruto...I'm never gonna make him smile." Sakura admitted, shrugging casually.

"Eh? You can't forfeit! If you do, I _win!"_ Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands out in exaggeration.

"You're eventually gonna win anyway, so I guess I'll forfeit now to save me the torture. So fine, you _win_ the bet. What do you want?" Sakura rolled her jade eyes.

"A date." Naruto grinned, cheeks red.

"W-what?" Sakura replied, stuttering.

"I said a want a date. With you." He elaborated.

Sasuke perked up and peeked his head over his shoulder as he walked.

"B-but...are you sure you want to waste your win on _that!?"_ Sakura asked, a little flustered.

"Yeah. You'd never accept anyway if I asked you normally." Naruto shrugged, still grinning.

"You never ask me normally! 'Let's go for ramen' is not a _date_ , Naruto. And besides, by your logic, you'd be taking me on a _forced_ date?" Sakura crossed her arms and glowered at the boy.

"W-well...just be ready when we finish the mission." Naruto chuckled, facing back forwards to see Sasuke scowling at him. "Heyyy Sasuke!~" He called, making the raven-haired boy quickly turn back around and act like he was never looking at them.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him and slowly lowered his hand. "That was strange..." He pointed out.

"What was?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms. "The fact you could've forced me to do _anything_ yet you chose to go on a _date_ with me? Yeah, I think so too..."

"Not that, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pouted.

"What, then?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter anymore...but I think we're here." Naruto pointed ahead of them to a cave where Kakashi stood, looking to the map and back up to the cave.

"I think we're here. Let's have a look inside." Kakashi stated, putting his map away, earning a nod from Naruto and Sakura and a 'hn' from Sasuke.

Kakashi walked inside before widening his eyes and holding his hand out.

"Don't come in here-!"

"Kakashi-sensei- what's wrong!?" Naruto screamed, running in, Sakura and Sasuke following.

"NO!" Kakashi attempted to push them back but was too late, a huge wall slammed shut on the four, trapping them inside the cave.

"Damn! It was a trap! Are you guys okay!?" Sakura screamed. Naruto got up and rubbed his head, wincing.

"Y-yeah...we're fine." Naruto replied, turning to Kakashi who was glaring down at him. "S-sorry...sensei. I didn't hear you in time." Kakashi rolled his eyes at the blond.

"Sometimes I wonder if we're on the same planet, Naruto." Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, looking towards the wall. Suddenly, readings were engraved in the rock. Much to Kakashi's surprise, he couldn't seem to read them.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are those letters?" Naruto asked, but Kakashi shook his head.

"Sasuke, Sakura, can you read it?" Kakashi asked, turning to them.

"I can't." Sasuke simply replied, crossing his arms.

"Wait- hold on..." Sakura replied, tapping her chin. "I know this language...it's one the ancient Shinobi used to communicate with eachother without their foes knowing. You can't visually read it...so if I can _just-"_ Sakura extended her hand to touch the symbols, she gritted her teeth as blue chakra flowed into her hand, glowing. She hissed as she recoiled her hand, holding it in pain.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay!?" Naruto ran up to her grabbing her wrist, demanding to see her hand.

"I'm _fine."_ She sighed, pulling her hand back. "I just wasn't expecting the resistance of it...let me try again." She placed her hand on it once more, her hand glowing blue again. She winced and closed her eyes, suddenly groaning.

"Sakura, if it's _hurting_ you, stop-"

"No, I can do it!" She growled, turning her head towards Sasuke, eyes still closed and teeth clenched. She suddenly whipped her head back around and grabbed her wrist, tightening her grab as she held her head down, still groaning in agonizing pain.

"Sakura, that's _enough-!"_ Kakashi stepped forward to stop her, but her eyes opened, revealing them to be glowing completely blue.

"Sakura-chan- your eyes!" Naruto called out, she suddenly released her grip on her wrist and pulled back her hand, her eyes fading back to their normal colour. She looked to her teammates and sensei and collapsed to her knees on the floor, heaving breaths in and out of her chest.

"That was a tough one to crack..." She chuckled, getting up and putting a hand on her hip. "But I got it."

"What did it say, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, Kakashi staring her down in curiousity.

"It said...'those trapped within these walls, either weak or strong, never survived to see the light, though they were determined to all along. The only way to pass this place, is if the seal is broken- and the only way to do this, is to steal the token.'" She closed her eyes, reminiscing. "I...don't know what it _means,_ though."

"Hmm...Tsunade mentioned to me after you guys left that the guy we're after has necklace that holds one of the 7 Shinobi trap tokens. I reckon he's in here somewhere, so we'd better go and find him if we want to see Konoha again." Kakashi explained, grabbing a Kunai from his holster and making his way deeper into the cave. He stop and turned with a smile. "Did anyone bring a candle-light?" They all shook their heads.

"My healing ability creates light, but only enough to see within a 2 metre radius...and that would waste my chakra if we needed it later in the mission. If anyone has anything flammable, Sasuke could use his fireball genjutsu to alight it." Sakura replied, turning her head to face the raven-haired boy. He nodded his head.

"It wouldn't take that much chakra, and it could save us a lot of time." Sasuke explained. "I might have something in my storage scrolls." Sasuke grabbed a scroll out of his bag and unlocked it, pulling something out. "Got it." He pulled out a target and split the wood into four long sticks.

"Put the pieces in a circle so he can light them at the same time." Kakashi ordered, holding his stick out. Sasuke made the necessary hand symbols and blew a not-so-big fireball to set them on fire.

They set off down the dark cave as Naruto huddled close to Sakura, whining.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" She sighed, sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"I'm...scared of the dark." He admitted. Sakura let out a little snicker and put her hand in front of her face.

"You _are...?"_ She giggled, making him go red in embarrassment.

"Don't laugh at me, it's very common to have a fear of the dark! Nito- Na- phobia-"

"Nyctophobia." Sakura relayed, being a medic she had to know this stuff.

"Aren't there _alot_ of phobias that can be associated with fears of the dark?" Sasuke curiously perked up, earning a nod from Sakura.

"Mhm. Nyctophobia, Scotophobia, Lygophobia as well as Achluophobia. They're all the same, really." Sakura responded. Sasuke was actually quite impressed as his nodded in appeasement.

"Well- I have them, _okay!?_ It's not so _rare_ that someone's scared of what could be crawling right behind ya'!" Naruto twiddled his fingers in front of Sakura's face.

"I know. But you've gotta learn to face your fears." Sakura said, pushing his hands away from her.

"Your enemies would take advantage of the fact that you have that irrational fear. You'd be utterly _useless_ if you had to fight in a dark room." Sasuke insulted, as Naruto scowled.

"It's not irrational! And I would _NOT_ be useless! You guys are just ganging up on me now..." Naruto sulked, pouting his lip and crossing his arms.

Sakura shot Sasuke a look as she snickered, as he wore an amused expression. Sakura, who was too busy staring at Sasuke, walked into Kakashi, embarrassingly enough.

"Ah- s-sorry, Kakashi-sensei-"

"Shh!" He hushed, crouching down, with Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto doing the same. "...I heard something."

Sakura instinctively closed her eyes and pressed her hand to the floor.

 _"Wow..."_ She whispered. "...I feel their chakra...it's...they-they've got so _much!"_ She shouted quietly.

"Can you tell who it is?" Sasuke asked. Sakura shook her head, eyes still closed, feeling the chakra.

"W-wait..." She started to seem concerned. "It's...getting closer. The chakra. Not the person, but there's a stream of chakra heading for us, I- GAAAHH!" Sakura fell to the floor, clutching her head as she screamed.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed, not bothering to keep his voice down anymore as he rushed to her side.

"AAaaAH! M-MAKE IT S-STOP!" She was basically rolling on the floor, hands pulling at her hair so tight she might as well be bald.

"Sakura, what's happening!? Tell us and we can help you!" Kakashi hurried over, rolling her onto her back. "Damnit...she's been put under genjutsu! As well as seeing horrifying mirages, it seems she's _also_ experiencing physical pain."

Sasuke was cursing to himself, trying to figure out what he could do to help and find the best possible outcome.

"N-NO! Please...leave them alone, don't hurt them!" She wasn't screaming in pain anymore, she was crying - sobbing hysterically, at whatever she was seeing. Then, she clapped her hands over her mouth and muffled her crying as the genjutsu wore off.

"Sakura-!"

"Oh god...n-no, I-!" Sakura forced her words out as she sat up, looking from face to face frantically as if she was searching for something.

"Sakura-chan, it's okay!" Naruto hugged her, quite a serious expression planted on his face. "It's okay."

"Naruto...I'm so sorry..." She sobbed into his chest, hugging him tightly back.

"Sorry? For what?" He smiled, pulling back, exposing her distraught face.

"For...everything. And Kakashi-sensei, and Sasuke...I'm sorry, all of you." She pressed her back against a wall and brought her knees up to her face and put her head down, crying.

"I've never seen such a powerful effect of the genjutsu before..." Kakashi whispered, as Sasuke nodded in agreement, horror evident on his face.

"Guys, don't just _sit_ there, help me take her back!" Naruto screamed at them as he lifted Sakura bridal style.

"Where do you suppose we take her back to? We cant exactly get out of this place yet." Sasuke asked, standing up.

"...Well, I think Sakura needs to rest. That genjutsu must've been more than she could take - and it sure was powerful. And we can't exactly proceed without Sakura, we'll need her. We should head back to the wall, it's getting late already." Kakashi sighed, retreating back as Naruto followed, Sakura trembling in his arms, latched onto Naruto's shirt as if she didn't want to let him go. Naruto would be over the moon if it wasn't for the fact Sakura was in pain, and she wasn't exactly herself. He couldn't exactly take joy in what was hurting her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and scanned his face, tears still plaguing her pretty face.

"Sakura-chan, I told you it's _okay._ I'm right here." Naruto relayed, smiling sweetly. Sakura hesitated and then nodded slowly.

"...I _know._ I just needed to make sure." She told him before nuzzling back into his chest.

Needless to say, Naruto could basically feel holes burning into his back as Sasuke watched him intently.

"Okay, Naruto, put her down here." Kakashi ordered as he laid out sleeping bags on the floor. "We'll all rest. Naruto- you and Sasuke get some sleep and I'll stay on guard."

Naruto nodded and gently laid Sakura down. He took in her features for a few solid seconds before sighing and returning to his sleeping bag. Sasuke picked up their remaining fire torches and threw them into the middle of the sleeping bags, creating a campfire to keep them warm in the cold and damp cave, before returning to his sleeping bag.

"Rest easy, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered before drifting to sleep himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Naruto, wake up." Kakashi bluntly alarmed as he shook Naruto awake.

"Fdsdhdmm-huh?" Naruto gurgled as he awoke, eyes narrowed as he adjusted to the darkness.

"I've guarded for 3 hours, and I'm getting pretty sleepy. Mind switching roles?" Kakashi smiled, his eyes curving into the usual n-shape.

"Uh- sure..." Naruto accepted as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and unconsciously turning to Sakura to see how she was doing. She was fast asleep, her beautiful pink locks sprawled out everywhere - she looked peaceful. "Hm." Naruto smiled to himself as he shook his head.

He got up and sat next to Sakura's sleeping bag, repressing the urge to just cuddle up next to her and fall quickly back to sleep. He was pretty tired, and he hadn't gotten too much sleep. His smile quickly deteriorated as he adoned a more serious look. He reached his hand out and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear before he shook out of his trance, blushing and returning back to his guard post.

{1 hour and 30 minutes later}

Naruto was pretty much dozing off as he exhibited restlessness within his actions, as in, the tilting of his head and fluttering shut of his eyes as he tried to focus. He told himself to stay awake, but he didn't need to wish for much longer.

"Hnn..nnn.." Sakura stirred as he face scrunched up in frustration.

' _Is_ _she having a_ _nightmare?'_ Naruto pondered for a moment before sitting up and walking back over to her, sitting down. He gazed at her for a moment, smiling - chuckling a little at the silliness of it all - before his smile faltered. He touched his cold hand to her warm cheek and noticed the tears streaming down her face, and before he could investigate further, he had already pushed his luck; as the once slumbering girl awoke from his surprising touch.

"N-naruto?" She yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, as levelling with his. "Is...everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, everything's fine!" He quickly defended, turning scarlet as he threw out his hands in front of him, dismissing her with the gesture. "I'm just...alluding." As he looked at her raised eyebrow and smirk, he realised his blunder. "Uhm...I mean...deluding...sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck, anxiously. A small giggle erupted from Sakura as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Ahh, you and your malapropisms..." She laughed, before facing him fully. "...Why are you up, anyway? And...more specifically, why are you staring at me whilst I sleep?" Naruto turned blue at the end of her sentence before hanging his head in shame.

 _"When you say it like_ **that** _you make me sound like_ _a creep..."_ He whined, pouting like a child - his trademark expression. "And, anyway, I'm on guard. You started groaning in your sleep, so I thought you might've been hurt. I came to check, but it turns out you were just having a nightmare, see?" Naruto explained, pointing to the tears that rolled down her rosy cheeks.

"Hmm?" Sakura hummed as she touched her hands to her cheeks, feeling the wetness of them. "Oh...I didn't realise." She deadpanned. Her expression didn't change - she remained stoic, as if she knew the reason.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Naruto called, gathering Sakura's attention. "When...you were sent into genjutsu...what were you all shaken up about?" Creases formed under Sakura's eyes as she tensed up, a frown making it's way onto her face as if she was reminiscing the incident.

"It...I-...I don't want to say it. It just...felt so _real_ and I couldn't- I didn't k-know what to do, and it- it all felt...Argh! I don't know!" Sakura spluttered out as she pulled at her hair in frustration, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "...I hated it." Naruto placed a hand on her back and smiled warmly, comforting her.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. Whatever it was, you can tell me. I'll understand." Naruto assured, earning a welcoming smile from Sakura.

"I...I'll tell you. There was...a man. I...don't know who he was, but he had a black and red cloak on...and he-he- everyone was on the floor, an-and there was blood everywhere-" Sakura stopped to take a breath, her small, dilated pupils visible to her blonde friend. "-and...he had you, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke by your throats and he-" She winced and closed her eyes, as if she was bracing herself. "-he...ripped all of your s-spines o-out."

"Sakura..." Naruto formally called, dropping the suffix as he shared the tense moment with her.

"...He had my mother and my father there too. You...can guess what he did to them." She sighed as she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head upon them. "...I know I shouldn't be so...dramatic about this. But-but it just felt so...so real, you know? You wouldn't understand...it didn't even feel like a genjutsu...the illusion was...something _more."_ She slowly dragged her words out as she searched for the right vocabulary.

"Are _you...are you feeling okay?"_ Naruto finally asked, surprised as he tried to take in the information he had just received.

 _"...No."_ She simply replied, frowning, pulling her head back up to stare into his cerulean-blue eyes.

"...I'm sorry you had to see that." He replied, not knowing what else to say as he diverted his eyes from hers.

"It's not your fault." She shook her head, noticing the yawn Naruto was emitting. "You tired?"

"Mhm." He nodded, yawning loudly again. "I've been up for a while." He smiled, as Sakura stood up.

"I'll take guard, you get some rest." She offered, placing her hands gently onto her hips.

"Are you sure?" He asked, standing up aswell.

"I'm sure." She nodded. "Even if I'm not paying attention, I can sense enemy's chakra...easi..ly." She traced off, reminding herself of the train of incidents that had horrifically just occurred, but she brushed it off by smiling from ear to ear. "But, no matter. I'll be paying attention anyway!"

Once Naruto was satisfied with her reasoning, he lay back down into his sleeping back and went quickly back to sleep. Sakura mentally chuckled to herself as she thought over how annoying it would be if Naruto was as loud-mouthed and big-gobbed as he was when he was awake when he hit the hay. In other words, she thanked God he didn't snore. She despised snoring, it was just so...off-putting. She sat herself down next to the fire and found herself gazing into the illuminating flames, captivated by how they danced with the elements. She found it so enthralling. That was, until a certain Uchiha was revealed to be awake and turned on his side, facing her, and sitting up in his sleeping bag.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously, watching how she didn't take her eyes off the fire as she responded to him.

"Watching the flames." She responded, as if he was blind or oblivious of some sort. "They're pretty."

Sasuke didn't bother to ask why she thought that, and nor did he really care as he dazed at them aswell as if he was trying to see it from her point of view.

"...What do you want, anyway?" She suddenly asked, interrupting his thought process. He scoffed.

"What makes you think I _want_ anything?" He responded. She was now staring into his black eyes, and him back at her jade ones. A smirk suddenly slithered its way onto her face.

"Don't try and bullshit me. Everyone knows that you don't do anything unless it benefits you." She snickered.

 _'Tch.'_ He thought. _'She's not really wrong there.'_

"You've caught me," He sarcastically rolled his eyes, throwing his hands in the air. "...but I _do_ have something I want to ask you." The sentence sent Sakura over the edge as she found herself gasping for air in her fit of hysterical laughter. He started to get a bit nervous at her reaction, an emotion he didn't realise he even had. It's not that he was nervous for himself - it was more...nervous for her mental health. Yeah. That was it.

"Ahaha...sorry...that just- I _wasn't...actually_ expecting you...to say that." She said inbetween suppressed giggles as she wiped away a tear and regained composure. "So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Sasuke straightened himself as he prepared to have a long, intellectual conversation with his female teammate. Or...so he hoped to.

"I heard you talking with Naruto about the genjutsu incident. I wanted to ask you a bit more about it." He started, speaking in his monotone voice, with hard, steel eyes piercing through her soul. "...Like what the man in your illusion looked like."

Sakura raises an eyebrow in reply. Why is he so intent in getting the details of the man's features? She hadn't even seen him herself. He should instinctively realise that if she hadn't narrowed down the threat to someone, she hadn't seen him.

"...I don't know what he looks like, Sasuke. He was wearing a mask." She replied, straight-faced and shrugging. "But if we're gonna start this whole 'interrogation' thing you've got in mind," She started, gesturing around them with her hand. "Could I atleast ask you why you're asking me?"

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes calmly, as if he had foretold that she was going to ask him that exact question.

"I don't have to tell you. Stop being annoying and just answer the questions." He replied, spitting venom. She eyed him curiously.

 _'Did_ _I push_ _a b_ _utton?'_ She thought, bringing her finger to her chin.

"Don't get so defensive, I was only asking a _question."_ She hissed, glaring daggers at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "If you don't want to answer _my_ question, then fine. I won't answer any of _your_ questions either. It's natural I would want to know your intentions behind your curiosity, Sasuke. Don't be such a dolt."

Sasuke almost flinched. Almost. But, Uchihas don't flinch. A _dolt? That's_ what she called him? _Dolt?_ Was she _serious?_ The nerve of this girl was unreal, he told himself. She really had changed from that whiny, clingy 12-year-old she was 4 years ago. Younger Sakura wouldn't even think of calling him such words. But, there still was _one_ thing about her that hadn't changed. She was still. Extremely. _Annoying._

"Dolt? _You're_ one to talk, Sakura." He replied hastily, making sure to make her name sound as dragged out and hostile as possible. "Answer the questions and it's a win-win. I don't have to listen to you being so annoying, and I also get my information. And you don't have to witness me get mad at you, which should be good in _your_ view of things." He told her, making sure to look anywhere but her. He then turned his head to the sound of pitiful chuckling coming from her.

"You think that _benefits_ me? Oh please. If you're confusing me with my past self, you're hugely mistaken. I'm sure someone as 'smart' as you would've noticed by now that I've not particularly got the same demeanour as I'd had when we were all kids. Clearly that thought hadn't passed you yet, but make sure when it does, you'll take it into consideration." She replied, equally as hostile as she turned her back on him and laid back down. "I'm going to sleep. Take guard."

"Tch. Just answer the damn questions, Sakura." He repeated, getting more and more agitated with her antics. He waited for a response, but was only greeted by silence. Had she fallen asleep that quickly? No. She couldn't have. She was probably giving him some form of silent treatment, or even just plainly ignoring him. _"Sakura..."_ He warned, his voice deep.

"Tch, why do you even _care?"_ She turned her head to face him, a smirk planted on her face. She then turned her head back around, facing the wall.

"I'll tell you once you give me the information I need." He responded, throwing his head in his hands in irritation. Why does she have to be so condescending with her actions? One moment she's friends with him, happy to tell him whatever he wants, and the next she absolutely despises him right down to his guts.

"...You promise?" She asked him, still refusing to face the teen. How...difficult she was. Acting like a child. Sasuke hated when she was like this, manipulating him to say even stupider things in response to her childishness.

"Yeah, whatever. I promise." He leaned his chin on his hand as he watched her slowly sit up and face him again, a huge grin planted on her face. There it is again. Swapping moods like she has bipolar disorder or something stupid in that category.

"Okay, I'll tell you." She grinned. She was too damn happy for her own good. It's not like her friends had just witnessed her in a state of tremendous physical and emotional pain. "The man had a mask on, so I wasn't able to see his face. I know he had long black hair, but that's about it. He had his cloak hood up, which was red and black. I...didn't seem to catch anything else. He was laughing, but I couldn't tell who it was just from that." She stopped to break as a thought pondered on her for a minute, spiking Sasuke's curiosity.

"What is it?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't seem to figure out who it was eith-

"Now that I think about it, he _kinda_ sounded like you. You know, when you do that whole 'crazy laugh' thing."

Sasuke swore his heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened and pupils dilated. _Could it be...?_

 _"...Uchiha Itachi."_ Kakashi chimed in, sitting up, making Sakura jump.

"Kakashi-sensei...you were awake?" Sakura asked as she covered her mouth with her hand, surprised.

"...Yes and no. I heard half of the conversation." He stated as he turned to the wide-eyed Uchiha child who was momentarily staring at the ground in fear. "...It seems Sasuke has come to that conclusion as well." He pointed out, nodding to the starstruck boy.

"Hold on, I don't understand. Itachi? You mean, like...his _brother?"_ Sakura whispered quietly, careful with choosing her words. Kakashi nodded.

"It seems we've been sent on a...more _dangerous_ mission than anticipated. We can't do it alone. As soon as we get out of this cave we'll head straight back to Tsunade and tell her the details." He put a hand to his chin and looked to the ceiling. "It _does_ make sense it would be Itachi. I thought the genjutsu you were in was just a normal mind transfer, but I do know Itachi's specialty is one that puts the user under emotional control, showing them...unsightly images. Usually it would be ones of terrible pasts or something equally as sadistic, but it seems you're rather...content with your life, Sakura. So he had to make one up. It was _more_ than just an illusion, I suppose."

"I...see." She told him, turning to face Sasuke. "Are...you okay?" He didn't reply.

"I should've killed him when I was with Orochimaru..." He hissed, clenching his fists shut, squeezing his eyes closed and gritting his teeth.

"It's _not_ your fault, teme." Naruto chirped, half-asleep, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Sasuke eyed him cautiously before closing his eyes again.

"Shut it, dobe." He replied, lightening the mood a little. Sasuke looked up to Sakura, and then to Kakashi. "Why was he targeting her? I thought it was me and Naruto he was after."

"I think it's because I was the easiest to access. I was completely vulnerable sensing the chakra through the floor like that...I think I should've been more careful." Sakura explained, placing her hand on her cheek and looking away in embarrassment. She turned back to find Sasuke shaking his head.

"No. _You_ wouldn't have been most accessible. If it's true Itachi had to make an illusion up, that would cause more chakra and willpower than having to just show us horrible memories." Sasuke sighed, bringing his dark, onyx eyes to meet her mesmerising, emerald ones. "If anything, _I_ would be the one to go down without much of a fight."

 _"Oh..."_ Sakura lowered her hand from her cheek and turned to face Naruto, who had his eyes on Sasuke in sympathy. Reverting her gaze from the blonde to the silver-haired, she noticed he was patiently waiting for her response. "I'm...not quite...sure, then." She quietly mumbled, getting quieter with each word.

Things fell silent as the crew was unable to add anything on to the matter as Sasuke paled and Sakura nervously rubbed her fingers together. Kakashi was the first to break the silence.

"Alright. We'll notify Lady Hokage as soon as possible. Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto - get some sleep. I'll take guar-"

"No, it's fine. I'll take watch." Sasuke interrupted, placing a hand on the ground to stand up.

"If you say so." Kakashi shrugged, laying back down, not wanting to further the conversation or erupt an argument. "Wake me up in 2 hours." He ordered, falling to sleep rather quickly. Naruto amd Sakura exchanged knowing glances as they laid down aswell. Naruto fell asleep quickly, but Sakura took mildly longer...

"Sakura."


End file.
